[新聞]IMO to lead efforts to restore maritime infrastructure

Navigational aids must be put in working order soonest, it says The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has said it will spearhead efforts to restore battered maritime infrastructure in the Indian Ocean regions affected by the devastating earthquakes and resulting tsunamis. Desolation: Safety is a key issue for ships seeking to bring aid to Indonesia's Aceh region but the coastline has been dramatically altered by the powerful waves, rendering navigational charts useless in some cases IMO secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos stressed the strategic importance of ensuring that ports, navigational aids and other key elements of maritime infrastructure are in working order as soon as possible. This is important not only for the medium- to long-term recovery of the affected areas, but to also ensure that short-term aid arriving by sea can do so efficiently and safely, he said in a statement. Safety is currently a key issue for ships seeking to bring aid to Indonesia's Aceh region and smaller vessels attempting to get it into remote areas along the west coast where roads and bridges were obliterated along with coastal maritime infrastructure and shore-based navigational aids. In many cases the coastline has been dramatically altered by the powerful waves, rendering navigational charts of the Aceh coastline useless in some cases. While there have been no reports of damage to navigational aids in the Malacca straits and its approaches, the Marshall Islands register warned last week that deep draft shipping operating in the region should be wary of the presence of sandwaves and other underwater obstructions resulting from the quake and resulting wave surges. This is particularly pertinent for the relatively shallow Malacca straits. Similarly the Japan Coast Guard, which is responsible for promulgating navigational warnings for this region, also issued what is known as a NAVTEX, cautioning vessels of the threat of depth changes as a result of the earthquake off the north-west coast of Sumatra. Pledging the IMO's full support for United Nations (UN) recovery efforts, Mr Mitropoulos expressed the maritime community's 'sadness at the enormity of the disaster and to offer all available assistance in support of the wider UN efforts to bring aid and comfort to those in need.' This also includes the establishment of a Tsunami Maritime Relief Fund in order to coordinate the shipping industry's direct financial and in-kind aid for the victims. The IMO, the United Nations agency for maritime safety and clean seas, said it has begun consultations with the World Meteorological Organisation, International Hydrographic Organisation and International Association of Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities to prioritise the safety issues. These include the provision of advice and warnings on depth soundings, navaids and other maritime infrastructure. The IMO is also planning, in the medium to long-term, field missions to the affected countries to conduct needs-assessments. Security is also currently an issue, with the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC) warning of piracy on both the west coast of Aceh and in the Malacca straits, although there has not been any reported cases according to the Kuala Lumpur-based IMB Piracy Reporting Centre. According to the latest UNJLC bulletin, the nearest operational ports unaffected by the tsunamis - Belawan and Lhokseumawe - are both operating with no delays. At Banda Aceh, the passenger port has been destroyed, but the cargo port which is located about 20 km to the east of Banda Aceh main port is currently operational, the UNJLC said. It added that soundings at the port indicate a 10 metre draft. Other ports were not so lucky with Sabang on Pulau We, Meulaboh and Lhoknga either not accessible or destroyed. The Singkel port on Aceh's south-west coast is open for discharge of vessels at anchorage only and the Sibolga port further south has one jetty available with a maximum draft of 6.5 metres. The IMO also said it would be reviewing the role of Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres in the region in terms of their role on conveying information about earthquakes and tsunamis and the possibility of using this network more effectively in future. Yesterday, a UN official said in Jakarta the death toll from last month's earthquake and tsunami, which devastated coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, may reach 200,000. Desolation: Safety is a key issue for ships seeking to bring aid to Indonesia's Aceh region but the coastline has been dramatically altered by the powerful waves, rendering navigational charts useless in some cases